Kiruna Airport is the northernmost airport in Sweden and hopes to be one of the most influential airport sites the country has ever seen in the near future. It started back in 1960 and has grown steadily ever since, becoming one of the most important airports in the country. The airport serves an increasingly important role for the people of Kiruna, who rely heavily on the ease of aircraft transportation due to the city’s geographical location.

The free airspace around the city and the extreme freezing temperatures has made it a sought after research station for NASA and many other aviation agencies around the globe. Tourists fly in regularly to experience attractions near the airport like the world’s largest underground mine and the Icehotel. The airport is currently slated as the main site for the Spaceport Sweden project, an ambitious project that hopes to make Kiruna Airport the second base of operations for Virgin Galactic’s commercial tourism space flights. The airport currently serves more than one hundred and fifty thousand passengers every year.

Kiruna Airport Car Rentals…

The airport currently offers the competitive rates of the three major car rental companies that vie for customers in airports all over Sweden. For those unfamiliar with Swedish airports, the three rental companies you’ll find in airports all over the country are Hertz, Avis, and Europcar.

The counters for all three companies can be found around the arrivals area of the terminal. Directories are posted throughout the terminal to make locating the company you prefer easier. If you’re still unable to find the company you’ve booked with, feel free to ask a nearby employee for assistance.

Once you’ve signed all the necessary paperwork and received the keys to your vehicle you’ll be able to pick it up in its designated parking space in the rental lot just outside the terminal. As you exit the front of the terminal, turn to your right. The rental lots will be to your right – in their own parking lot. The walk to the rental car parking lot is less than 100 meters away. Little signs are planted in the parking lot designating which company owns the car.

Kiruna Airport Directions to Kiruna…

There’s plenty to do in and around Kiruna, which is good since it’s the only town around for hundreds of miles. The airport is located just outside the town. To get to Kiruna you’ll have to start by leaving the airport via Flygfaltsvagen, following it for a couple kilometers before reaching where it intersects with highway E10. Turn left onto E10 and you’ll come up to a roundabout after driving about a kilometer and a half. Take the roundabout’s first exit and quickly turn slightly left onto Malmvagen. After continuing straight along the road for almost five kilometers, which will take you through a roundabout and name change, you’ll end up on the corner of Hjalmar Lundbohmsvagen and Lars Janssonsgatan. Turn right at the corner onto the latter street and then take the second left you come across. You’ll find yourself on a street named Vanortstorget and in the approximate center of Kiruna.

Kiruna Airport Car Rental Return…

Kiruna is full of gas stations, but none of them are particularly close to the airport. You shouldn’t have a problem getting back to the airport with a full tank of gas as long as you have a halfway decent fuel efficient vehicle. If you want to rent a vehicle that isn’t so fuel efficient then you may have to chip in for some fuel to top off the tank. I know that it is expensive – but it shouldn’t be more than a gallon or so. The closest station is probably the Statoil Station located on Forradsvagen fairly close to the city of Kiruna.

Other Car Rental Options at Kiruna Airport…

The snowy area is beautiful but treacherous. Getting lost in the countryside could spell death for anyone. If you’re planning on traveling a bit off the beaten path, or if you plan on just traveling a great deal, then I highly suggest you grab a GPS system from the company you rent your car from. It’ll cost you a little bit extra per day, but each company drives a satellite connected GPS system that will more than pay for itself before your trip is through. You can reserve a GPS system whenever your reserve your vehicle to ensure one will be waiting pre-equipped in your rental upon your arrival. Speaking of which, to ensure you get the rental you want, you should place your reservation at least forty-eight hours ahead of time.